15k miles service- DIY question about "lubricate propeller shaft(4wd)"

So I am DIY for maintenance. I just hit 10k miles and did 3rd oil change, 1st diffs front and rear/xfer case fluid changes. no issues besides paranoia on if i used the right washers- which i did.

i saw that at 15k miles it says to lubricate the propeller shaft for 4x4 models and to re-torque the "propeller shaft bolt"- singular.

I slid under the truck while i was checking for leaks from my recent fluid changes and only see one grease fitting, or what appears to be a grease fitting, and it's on the front propeller shaft between xfer case and front diff and its on the front diff side at a 90 degree angle from the flat surface of the ujoint. is this where you add grease? i also noted that past the transfer case on way to rear there is another joint that has a small opening in it. is that a fitting too?

and which propeller shaft bolt are they stating to tighten? Or is that a typo an really means all the bolts on the ends of each shaft? and if so, thoughts on that process? i have other 4x4's that never cal for that service.?

thanks!!

 

so i did a search- i know......should have first. my bad...

anyhow, it seems that my 2019 or 4x4 trd has just 2 zerks.

i see one on the front shaft at the front diff location and it's just 90 degrees off the face of the ujoint. easy to get to and you can move the shaft to get a good look at it.
the other appears to be under a cover near the xfer case.


any suggestions on which grease gun to buy? i haven't greased a car since i had to do my 1989 plymouth k-car back in like 1991.

LOL..

also, as far as tightening the bolts at the yoke on each end, seems hard to get to on the front drive shaft where it goes into diff?

 

The T case shield is easy to remove. The front shaft rotates by hand if you are in 2wd. So, you can position the zerk for the best access.

Any grease gun with a flexible hose will work. If you are buying new just for this, a pistol grip one is better. Otherwise, you will be pumping with the ground as a third hand.

Clean up all the schmoo that oozes out (you want new grease coming out all four cups). It will fling onto your exhaust and the smell won't go away because the crossover is double walled and doesn't get hot enough to actually burn it.

There is no zerk on the carrier bearing, but some folks have installed one there.

Yes. The connecting bolts at each drive shaft joint. I checked mine for the first time at 30k. No witness marks from the dealer checking them during ToyotaCare. They didn't move at all. It will probably be the last time that I check them unless I take a shaft out for other work.

 

can you check them all without removing stuff? i looked at the front ds and the cfer case side looks easy. but that diff side looks impossible?

 

Yep. I was able to check them all without removing anything. Just the Taco sitting on the ground in my garage. One side of the front shaft needed a few extensions to get at the nuts with enough length.

 

cool so did you use the open ended wrench to hold the heads and use sockets on the back of the front part of the shaft? seems like it's hard to access with a socket back there? or did you use the open ended wrench on that hard to access part with the nut?

 

Even though it was only a few months ago, I can't remember. Most likely a box end wrench?

Yes, though. You always want to apply torque to nuts on through-hole fasteners.

 

well i have 5k miles or 5 months to worry about it. gonna do the grease though asap just becasue it seems easy.

 

Could you tell if the dealership actually greased the drive shafts? Or did you do that yourself just to be sure? I wonder if they ever even check the bolts... I don't know if it's common practice to put witness marks on all the bolts they check?

 

I would bet that the shaft bolts are never touched on 99% or more on vehicles that have them. That requirement is most likely there to keep lawyers off of Toyota should a shaft drop off.

 

Only the factory will mark torqued fasteners. Dealers don't even 'check all fluids.'

Yet, most cars will go a couple hundred thousand miles with no problems.

If they actually greased the zerks, we would definitely see it flinging off or smell it because they are not going to clean it up as well as we would.

 

yep all true. i noticed that my rear diff, more so than front diff, was underfilled. i checked each diff and xfer case this weekend before draining. with my finger, i couldn't get fluid to show on the rear, on the front, very little. i do have a hum in the back under light gas pedal but alot of people complain about that. it only happens while hitting gas at like 57mph. the rest oft he time it's quiet. not sure if i should tell them or not. i have lifetime warranty. i can see them saying something like "you didn't tell us about the hum or you messed with it by changing the fluid so denied". LOL. it hasn't gotten worse and it may have been there since new. They did have it for the brake pedal vibe between 35-20 mph and they said all normal. I was concerned that the diff had issues i told them. But all was good according to them.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...oise-howling-when-feathering-throttle.442341/


the howl i referenced.

 

Rear Diff Howl is pretty common in these trucks, has nothing to do with the fluid but is caused by harmonic vibration

 

The fluid for the rear has a lot more area to cling to after the initial fill. I would not be concerned over a few ounces, but I would definitely top it off if you can't get any on your finger. If you need a significant part of the quart, then that would at least have me checking it more often to start.

I changed all the driveline fluids early and got a lot of break in particles out. I checked them at 30k and was pleasantly surprised to see what looked like virgin fluid coming out of the rear diff and MT. I had to add a bit to the front diff.

I have a slight howl when feathering the throttle. For me, it is more of a feature than complaint. I believe the latest TSB is attributing it to harmonic resonance getting picked up in the suspension. It might be worth asking about if it is enough to be annoying?

They cannot deny your warranty if your diffs are filled and there is a failure. Fluid brand or source, as long as it meets the spec in the OM, is not a valid reason for denial.

 

and that's exactly why i never took it back to them. dealer is 45 minutes way and is a pain to get to etc etc. i researched this issue and just decided it was "normal" and "not harmful" to the truck longterm. i read some people getting new diffs and having same exact issues or worse......so i decided to jsut do nothing...

 

i used redline 75w-85. it's shown as equivalent on redlines website to toyotas LF 75w-85 or whatever it's called in the manual.

i used redline 75w plain for xfer case..... same deal. equiv per redlines website to whatever the manual calls for- i can't remember exact LF or LV but whatever redline said, it matches in the manual. i read someplace that becasue redline is tinted red, the dealer will knee jerk and deny warranty claims.. which is wrong- they think it's atf or something. This is why i do all my own maint. I also hear dealer uses

$28 75w-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75w-90 or something and NOT 75w-85. I heard that's bad due to thickness at higher temps but who knows.....i want it done right and if they have the blessing from toyota that 75w-90 works then i'd use that next time......need to call them and ask for that paper...

 

Yes. Redline notes that their T case fluid is now good. I used Ravenol (blue tint?) but will go with either Toyota or something with a similar additive package since I am using the 2Lo Mod pretty much daily. The Ravenol additive package is a bit week. I didn't see the VOA until well after I used it.

I used

$28 75w-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75w-90 as it is more common. Zero concerns there. A five weight difference when hot is no big deal. Heck, ECGS recommends 85w-140.

From what gets reported here, the driveline and the Taco itself is solid. Any bit of preventative maint is going to make the truck last forever with electrical gizmos being the biggest worry.

 

if she lasts like my xterra has lasted, i wil be very happy. my xterra is a 2007 4x4 s model that i bought new in 2006 with 37 miles on her. she is at 147k miles now and zero issues. Drives and runs and looks like new. Seriously. My neighbor called her a show car. LOL.

 

i wonder if you had a diff failure and whent to dealer and they ask for proof you replaced fluid and you show not using the 75w-85 if they would deny? some would i think. that's why i stuck with 75w-85.